Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
  • F42B12/02—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
  • F42B12/34—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B30/00—Projectiles or missiles, not otherwise provided for, characterised by the ammunition class or type, e.g. by the launching apparatus or weapon used
  • F42B30/02—Bullets
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B5/00—Cartridge ammunition, e.g. separately-loaded propellant charges
  • F42B5/02—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile
  • F42B5/045—Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile of telescopic type
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B7/00—Shotgun ammunition
  • F42B7/02—Cartridges, i.e. cases with propellant charge and missile
  • F42B7/10—Ball or slug shotgun cartridges

Definitions

• the present invention relates to ammunition for small arms, medium and large calibres, and more particularly advanced ammunition, especially for hunting weapons, having improved efficiency, by a target expansion.
• Shotgun bullets are typically divided between bullet-sized bullets and under-calibrated bullets.
• Conventional bullets in the caliber of the weapon are usually made of lead or lead alloy. They do not fragment and expand only very slightly to the impact on the target. Some involve breakage primers that cause fragmentation of the bullet body on impact.
• These bullets are fired at relatively slow speeds, less than 500 m / s, and are ineffective on medium or strong targets such as large game, such as wild boar.
• the sub-calibrated bullets comprise a sub-projectile, possibly stabilized by empennage, associated with a launch pad, the caliber of the weapon, which separates at the exit of the barrel of the weapon.
• All these conventional balls have drawbacks generally related to their imprecision, their ballistic dispersion and their lack of effectiveness on targets with hard parts.
• So-called expansive bullets, which deform upon impact by mushroom-shaped expansion, including on medium-strength targets, have been described in the art.
• US-A-4,685,397 discloses a ball with ogival body whose head has a blind hole closed by an insert capable of sinking into the hole during impact, and to push outwardly the wall of the ogive.
• Patent EP-A-918,208 describes another embodiment of such a bullet cylindrical body and ogival head having a blind hole along its axis, closed by an insert, supplemented by a peripheral annular groove.
• the insert sinks into the blind hole and then causes deformation by expansion of the ogival head, which is facilitated by the annular groove.
• PCT application WO 03.093758 discloses an expansion and partial fragmentation ball having an orifice located in the head of the warhead, completely closed by a plug mounted on a rod, the movement of which causes deformation of the body of the bullet.
• the expansive ammunition of this type has the disadvantage of a random control of the deformation according to the shooting conditions, accompanied by a risk of fragmentation of the ogival head of the bullet.
• More advanced ammunition for hunting weapons has been developed on the principle of the arrow bullet. Ammunition of this type are described for example in FR-A-2,555,728.
• FR-A-2,795,170 discloses ammunition that meets this objective, and is essentially constituted by a bullet of the caliber of the weapon or under-calibrated, comprising a profiled front portion, a central portion, and a rear portion being able to carry an empennium, and comprising, disposed along its axis, an internal deflected boom, of rigidity at least equal to that of the body of the bullet.
• the balls of this type are very precise and have the advantage of maintaining their mass during the impact on the target. According to this technique, the diameter of the nose of the warhead is between 40 and 50% of the maximum diameter of the bullet, which gives it a significant aerodynamic drag.
• the purpose of the present invention is precisely to optimize the terminal ballistics of a lead-free metal ball of the above type, in order to provide accelerated expansion, while avoiding the loss of mass by fragmentation and by ensuring excellent efficiency on the hard parts possibly present in the target.
• the invention also relates to a hunting weapon ammunition, as mentioned above, providing an accelerated expansion during the impact on the target, in particular on a low or medium resistance target.
• the subject of the invention is also an ammunition for hunting weapons with improved terminal efficiency on medium or low resistance target, constituted by a cartridge, consisting of a primed sleeve, a powder charge propulsive, and a complete ball, if any associated with a launcher the caliber of the weapon.
• the invention finally relates to a lead-free ammunition for hunting weapons having an optimized terminal ballistics, providing an almost total release of energy in the soft parts of the target, avoiding any fragmentation of the bullet on impact.
• the present invention is applicable to ammunition of small, medium or large caliber, the type of the caliber of the weapon or sub-calibrated, for hunting weapons with smooth or striped barrel.
• the ammunition for small, medium and large weapons, according to the present invention is constituted by a bullet of the caliber of the weapon, or sub-calibrated, of the type comprising a substantially rigid body of ball and a deformable part, and it is distinguished in that the deformable portion is constituted by a substantially cylindrical expansion ring whose rear portion is mounted on the front portion of the bullet body.
• the cylindrical expansion ring is fixed by its rear part on the bullet body, and the attachment may be advantageously detachable from the bullet body.
• the expansion ring comprises means cooperating with the bullet body to prevent its recoil during impact on the target so that the energy released on impact is partly absorbed by the deformation of the target. the ring.
• These means may be constituted by a stop secured to the rear portion of the ring, bearing on a shoulder on the bullet body. It may be advantageous to provide that the bale body has a shoulder against which abuts the rear face of the cylindrical ring.
• the expansion ring comprises on its front face an opening frustoconical bore, cooperating with the front face of the head of the bale body to form an open cavity.
• the volume and the opening angle of this cavity are determined according to the desired results, in application of as for conventional calculation methods to achieve the maximum stopping power on the target, by effect of dilation, penetration and hydrodynamic cavitation.
• the frustoconical bore opening on the front face of the expansion ring is designed to form with the outer cylindrical portion of the ring, a flat or a narrow expansion lip, which facilitates the movement of the ring. expansion of the ring at impact on the target.
• the base of the frustoconical bore is designed to form with the outer cylindrical portion of the ring, a flat or a narrow expansion lip, which facilitates the movement of the ring. expansion of the ring at impact on the target.
• opening comprises an annular bearing bearing against the cylindrical surface of the ball body head and slidable on it.
• This annular bearing is separated from the rear part of the cylindrical ring by an annular groove.
• the annular bearing ensures a deformation by regular expansion of the ring by preventing misalignment with respect to the axis of the ball. It also maintains the ring from all angles of fire, including tangential shots generating significant radial forces. Finally, it contributes to the good grip of the ball in the case of an impact on the ground by maintaining the ring in the axis of the bullet body, and thereby decreases the propensity to lateral ricochets of the ball, and thus increases shooting safety.
• the outer surface of the expansion ring is generally cylindrical, but it may be slightly curved and have a low taper, especially in the case of caliber bullet. According to a preferred embodiment, the outer surface of the cylindrical ring has a curvilinear ogival shape.
• the front face of the expansion ring is substantially in the plane of the face of the ball body head. However, depending on the desired effect, it can be protruding, which reduces the aerodynamic drag, or conversely slightly recessed.
• the bullet body comprises a front part supporting the expansion ring, of cylindrical shape ending in a conical or frustoconical tip. This part constitutes an arrow intended to fragment the hard parts possibly present in the target.
• the terms “front part” and “rear part” used herein respectively denote the front or back of the ball, in the direction of the shot.
• the arrow corresponds substantially to the front part of the bullet body.
• the body of the bale may be for example copper, preferably copper heat-treated or mechanically to increase its hardness and rigidity, or brass containing 5 to 40% zinc and 95 to 60% copper, preferably brass containing 20 to 30% zinc, or metal alloy having the desired mechanical properties, for example aluminum alloy, or composite material based on tungsten or bismuth.
• the technique of the invention has the advantage of allowing the lead to be completely or partially replaced by another metal or alloy known to be non-polluting.
• the empennage may be made of metal or polymer formed by plastics directly on the metallic body of the subprojectile.
• the bullet body used in the ammunition of the invention advantageously comprises a front part comprising an arrow of revolution.
• the bullet body and the arrow are preferably made of the same material, for example copper or brass, the arrow being machined directly on the bullet body.
• the arrow usually has the shape of a rod or a cone of revolution, coaxial with the projectile. It is advantageous to provide ribs or bearings on the outer surface of the boom to improve attachment of the expansion ring. It may be for example annular or helical ribs, cooperating with means provided on the inner face of the ring.
• the expansion ring is attached to the bullet body by screwing, by friction welding or by hooping, or by force fitting, for example by means of a contact surface knurled in diamond points.
• the expansion ring is preferably made of metal or metal alloy, for example brass, of lower or equal rigidity, and preferably lower than that of the bullet body. This difference in stiffness between the bullet body and the expansion ring can be obtained for example by choosing brasses with an appropriate zinc content. Breaking primers may be provided on the expansion ring.
• breaking primers cooperating with the more rigid boom, promote deformation of the head of the bullet during the impact by "mushrooming" around the central deflector which retains its general shape and serves as a structure ensuring the cohesion of the 'together.
• They can be associated in combination with circular or longitudinal grooves made around the bead, preferably in the zone deforming by expansion, whose deformation must be controlled.
• the ball may be of the gyroscopic stabilization or empennage type.
• the gyro-stabilized bullet is used in a rifled barrel, so that the stripe of the barrel cooperating with a tenon integral with the bullet, gives it a rotational movement along its axis.
• Stabilized bullets can be used in smooth-bore weapons.
• the launch pad in the case of a sub-calibrated bullet, may be in accordance with those described in patents FR-A-2,606,500 and FR-A-2,708,730.
• the ammunition of the present invention can be used on relatively hard and high strength targets, as well as soft targets of low strength on which they provide excellent terminal efficiency. This excellent efficiency results in particular from the effect of controlled expansion on impact, after perforation of the hard and resistant parts possibly present in the target. It is obtained while maintaining the aerodynamic parameters of the approach bales with an internal arrow carried using the technique described in the patent FR-A-2,795,177 cited above, even at considerable distances, of the order of 300 m and more in the case of gyro-stabilized bullets.
• FIG. 1 The point of impact is then identical to that of the above-mentioned approach booms with the aerodynamic parameters and the construction of the ball in flight order.
• firing safety is ensured from all angles of fire on the target, including tangential angles through the open cavity formed on the front of the bullet, combined with the relatively small diameter of the tip of the ogival head. , thus limiting the propensity for ricochets.
• the ammunition of the invention is therefore particularly suitable for hunting small or medium game, but may also be suitable for large game with relatively thick and resistant skin.
• Fig. 1 a schematic half-view in partial section of a sub-calibrated bullet stabilized by empennage, according to the invention, for shotguns.
• Fig. 2 a partial sectional view of the bullet of Figure 1, expanded after penetration into the target.
• Fig. 3 a schematic half-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, representing a bullet caliber, more particularly suitable for hunting rifles.
• Fig. 4 a schematic sectional view of the ring of the ball shown in Figure 3, after expansion to impact on a high-strength target, and separation of the body of the ball.
• Fig. 5 a partial half-view, in partial section, of a variant of the front part of the ball of Figure 1, having a threaded connection between the expansion ring and the bullet body.
• Fig. 6 a partial half-view, in partial section, of another variant of the front portion of the ball of Figure 1, comprising a hooped connection between the expansion ring and the bullet body.
• Fig. 7 a partial half-view, in partial section, of another variant of the front portion of the ball of Figure 1, having a knurled connection in diamond points between the expansion ring and the bullet body.
• the ball (1) comprises a sub-calibrated bullet (2) and a throwing shoe (3), the assembly being conventionally placed in a primed sleeve (4) containing a propellant charge (5).
• the throwing shoe (3) consists of two identical hemi-cylindrical elements surrounding the body of the bullet (1).
• the sub-calibrated ball (2) comprises a ball body (6) receiving an expansion ring (7) at its front part, and a stabilizer (8) at its rear part.
• the front part of the bullet body (6) comprises a revolution arrow (9).
• This boom (9) is integral with the bale body (6), and for example it can be manufactured by machining directly into the bale body.
• the rear portion of the bale body (6) comprises a fluted or threaded portion (10) for fixing the stabilizer (8).
• the central portion of the bale body (6) has on its outer surface grooves (11) cooperating with hinges (12) formed in the inner face of the throwing shoe (3).
• the boom (9) has a diameter corresponding approximately to half the outer diameter of the bale body (6).
• the rear part of the boom (9) has a plurality of cylindrical spans (13) of small width, separated by narrow grooves (14).
• the outer diameter of the cylindrical bearing surfaces (13) is slightly greater, by a few tenths of a millimeter, than that of the cylindrical portion (15) of the boom lying in front of the bearing surfaces (13).
• the front part of the arrow (9) has a frustoconical shape (16).
• the bullet body (6), including the arrow (9), is made of brass containing 30% of zinc, and the expansion ring is made of brass, the zinc content of which is 20% having a rigidity lower than that of the bullet body.
• a bore (17) is formed inside the rear portion of the expansion ring (7).
• the diameter of this bore (17) is slightly smaller, by a few hundredths of a millimeter, than that of the cylindrical bearing surfaces (13) of the boom (9).
• the ring further comprises an annular bearing (18) slidable on the cylindrical portion (15) of the arrow (9). This bearing (18) is separated from the bore (17) by a groove (19).
• a frustoconical bore (20) opening on the front face (21) of the expansion ring (7) forms, with the outer cylindrical portion (22) of the ring (7), a flattening or expansion lip (23). of small width.
• the small base (24) of the frustoconical bore (20) has an outer diameter at least equal to that of the bottom of the groove (19).
• a groove (25) formed in the outer face of the expansion ring (7) cooperates with an adent (26) formed in the inner face of the throwing shoe (3).
• the expansion ring (7) is mounted by its rear part on the arrow (9) of the bale body (6), by a force fit by cold shrinking of the bore (17) of the ring (7). on the cylindrical bearing surfaces (13) of the boom (9).
• the outer diameter of the cylindrical bearing surfaces (13) being very slightly greater than that of the bore (17), the establishment of the ring (7) is made in force, until its rear face (27) comes in contact with one shoulder (28) on the bullet body (6).
• the circular bearing (18) of the cylindrical expansion ring (7) slides freely on the cylindrical part (15) of the arrow (9), ensuring firstly a perfect alignment of the ring (7) on the body of ball (6), and secondly an excellent coaxiality of the ring (7) on the bullet body (6).
• An open cavity (29) is delimited by the face (21), the conical bore (20) and the small base (24) of the ring (7) on the one hand, and the cylindrical portions (15) and conical (16) of the arrow (9), on the other hand.
• the volume and the opening angle of this cavity (29) are determined according to conventional calculation methods according to the desired results, to achieve the maximum stopping power on the target.
• FIG 2 shows a partial view of the bullet of Figure 1, shot with a shotgun in a reference target (Plastiline® block), the impact velocity of the bullet being 420 m / s , and its mass of 21 g.
• This Figure highlights the operation of the ball, after penetration into the target and expansion of the ring.
• the expansion ring (7) exerts a punching effect on the wall of the target, making it possible to establish a hydrodynamic pressure in the open cavity (29) of the bullet (2), causing progressively deforming the expansion lip (23) outwards, thus initiating the expansion process of the ring (7) until the mechanical forces of resistance to the deformation of the ring are greater than the pressures hydrodynamic exercises.
• the expanded ring (30) remains attached to the bale body (6) by the support of its rear face (27) on the shoulder (28) of the bale body (6).
• the projected expanded surface of the ring (7) is about 4.5 times the section of the ball in flight, and the expanded ring is perfectly circular, without appearance of cracking or radial bursting of the corolla.
• the boom (9), integral with the bullet body (6), allows the destruction of hard parts possibly present in the target.
• the impact on the target causes a slight deformation (31) of the conical portion (16) of the head of the boom (9). This deformation is of course variable depending on the shooting conditions and the properties of the target.
• the annular bearing (18) makes it possible to deform by regular expansion of the ring (7), preventing any misalignment with respect to the axis of the bale (2). It also ensures the maintenance of the ring from all angles of shooting, including tangential shots generating significant radial forces.
• the hunting ball shown in Figures 1 and 2 is designed to be shot specifically with smooth-barreled or slightly scratched shotguns. The stabilization of the ball on trajectory is ensured by the stabilizer (8) which ensures at best the coincidence of the geometric axis of the bullet with the tangent of the trajectory described by its center of gravity.
• FIG. 3 represents an alternative embodiment of the invention applied to a bullet of the caliber of the weapon, adapted more particularly to hunting rifles.
• the ball of Figure 3 includes a bullet of caliber
• the ball body (33) has at its rear part three spans (38) substantially identical and the caliber of the weapon, corresponding to the bottom diameter of the barrel of the gun, separated from each other by two decompression grooves ( 39) gases from the combustion of the powder, and a leak cone (40) conventionally designed according to the aerodynamic study of the ball.
• the front portion of the bale body (33) includes an arrow (34) sub-calibrated relative to the bale body (33), and integral therewith.
• a cylindrical shoulder (43) of smaller diameter than the circular recesses (42) is placed between the bearings (41) and the conical head (44) of the arrow (34).
• the expansion ring (35) comprises an axial bore (45) slidable on the three bearings (41).
• a longitudinal clearance (46) of about 1.5 mm is arranged beyond the third bearing towards the head of the boom (34).
• a functional clearance (47) of about 1 mm is provided between the bore (48) of the front of the ring (35) and the diameter (49) of the cylindrical shoulder (43) of the head of the boom. (34).
• the diameter of the bore (48) is smaller than that of the bore (45).
• a conical bore (50) opening on the front face (51) of the ring (35) forms, with the curvilinear ogive (52), an expansion lip (53).
• a crimp groove (54) of trapezoidal profile is formed on the cylindrical rear portion of the ring (35) of diameter equal to that of the bearing surfaces (38) of the bullet body (33).
• the birth of the curvilinear ogive (52) is about 2 mm from the crimping groove (54) for crimping the bullet (32) in the metal case (36).
• the rear face (55) of the ring (35) comes into contact with one shoulder (56) of the bale body (33).
• An outer chamfer (57) of a few tenths of a millimeter is practiced on both sides of the contact plane (55, 56).
• the connection between the ring (35) and the bale body (33) is ensured by friction welding on the bearings (41) and on the contact plane (55, 56).
• the outer chamfer (57) made on either side of the contact plane (55, 56) makes it possible to withstand any material irregularities generated by the welding.
• a conical cavity (58) open at the top of the bale is delimited by the cone (50) and the front face (51) of the ring (35), and by the cone (44) of the head of the boom (34). .
• This cavity is extended in a circular manner by the games (47) and (46) arranged between the bores (48) and (45) of the ring (35) and the cylindrical shoulder (43) of the arrow (34).
• the metallic materials used in this embodiment of the invention are the same as in the previous example.
• the operation of this target ball is similar to that of the sub-calibrated bullet in Figure 1, the deformations being similar to those of Figure 2. However, the target impact speeds are higher, and can then result in a separation of the ring (59) as shown in Figure 4.
• FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the bale of Figure 1, wherein the ring (60) is fixed to the arrow (61) integral with the bale body (62) by means of a thread (63). The thread is machined to ensure perfect locking of the ring (60) of the contact plane (64) between the rear face (65) of the ring (60) and 1 'shoulder
• FIG. 6 shows another alternative expansion ring (69) mounted on the boom (70) of the bullet body (71) of a sub-calibrated bullet.
• the front part of the boom (70) comprises a cone (72) whose front face (73) is projecting from the front face (74) of the ring (69).
• the contact surface (75) between ring and arrow is smooth, the setting of the ring (69) on the arrow (70) being carried out hot, the bullet body having been previously cooled at low temperature, for example in liquid nitrogen. A frettage tightening is then created.
• FIG. 7 represents another variant embodiment adapted to a sub-calibrated bullet, where the ring (76) is assembled to the arrow (77) of the bullet body (78) by means of a raised machining (80) in shaped like diamond tips on the back of the arrow (77).
• the invention can be applied to ball ammunition for all weapons, and more particularly to hunting weapons of all calibers, with a smooth or striped barrel.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
• Vibration Dampers (AREA)
• Manufacture Of Metal Powder And Suspensions Thereof (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-03-08 FR FR0402403A patent/FR2867267B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2005
  • 2005-03-08 CA CA2558031A patent/CA2558031C/fr active Active
  • 2005-03-08 WO PCT/FR2005/000552 patent/WO2005088234A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2005-03-08 SI SI200531598T patent/SI1728043T1/sl unknown
  • 2005-03-08 PL PL05736518T patent/PL1728043T3/pl unknown
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  • 2005-03-08 ES ES05736518T patent/ES2393490T3/es active Active
  • 2005-03-08 EP EP05736518A patent/EP1728043B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-03-08 US US10/592,136 patent/US20070193468A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2006
  • 2006-08-23 ZA ZA2006/07054A patent/ZA200607054B/en unknown
• 2009
  • 2009-08-03 US US12/534,639 patent/US8087359B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

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